UPK1A and bacterial urinary tract infection: Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), the primary cause of urinary tract infection55 (UTI), initiates a UTI using FimH located at the tip of the Type 1 pili56, mediating adhesion to N-linked carbohydrates covalently attached to UPK1A proteins expressed at the apical surface of umbrella cells57.